HANGZHOU, China: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday on a four-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, economic cooperation and the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
According to Pakistan’s government, the prime minister was received at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport by Zhejiang Deputy Governor Xu Wenguang, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong and Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the premier.
During his stay in Hangzhou, Shehbaz is scheduled to meet Zhejiang Communist Party Secretary Wang Hao and participate in a business forum focused on promoting cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese companies under CPEC Phase-II.
75th anniversary of diplomatic relations
The prime minister will also witness the exchange of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and hold meetings with executives of major Chinese firms. He is also expected to visit Alibaba headquarters and attend additional MoU signing ceremonies related to technology and business cooperation.
Following engagements in Hangzhou, the premier will travel to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
The visit also coincides with celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
Pakistan and China earlier agreed to launch an upgraded version of CPEC, known as CPEC 2.0, focusing on industry, agriculture, mining, information technology, infrastructure and sustainable development.
Both countries have also pledged to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, cybersecurity, education and people-to-people exchanges.
